New Zealand bowl out Afghanistan for 186

Napier, March 8 (IANS) New Zealand bowled Afghanistan out for 186 in 47.4 overs in a cricket World Cup Pool A match at the McLean Park here on Sunday.

Veteran left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori(4/18) and pacer Trent Boult (3/34) had reduced Afghanistan to 59/6 in the 20th over before Samiullah Shenwari (54) and Najibullah Zadran (56) forged an 86-run partnership for the seventh wicket to bail the team out of the slump.

Afghanistan innings got off to a poor start with the two openers Javed Ahmadi(1) and Usman Ghani (0) perishing to pacer Boult and Vettori.

From 6/2 in the third over, they stooped to 59/6 in the 20th over. Asghar Stanikzai (9) lost his wicket to left-armer Boult. Vettori dismissed in-form Nawroz Mangal (27), skipper Mohammad Nabi (6) and wicketkeeper-batsman Afsar Zafai (0) as the Cup debutants stumbled to 59/6.

Afterwards, a seventh-wicket partnership between Shenwari (54)and Najibullah Zadran (56) for 86 runs rescued them. Their stand became the fifth highest for the seventh wicket in the history of the quadrennial event.

The 22-year-old left-hander Najibullah recorded his second One-Day International (ODI) half-century. He hit eight fours and two sixes before offering a catch to Vettori at third man off pacer Adam Milne.

For the 28-year-old Shenwari, it was his 10th fifty and second in the tournament. He had scored 96 in a winning cause against Scotland. On Sunday, the right-hander played it slow and during his 110-ball knock, he hit five fours and a six.

Shenwari offered a simple catch to Ross Taylor and square leg off medium pacer Corey Anderson, who ended the Afghanistan innings by taking the wicket of Hamid Hassan (16).

Brief scores: Afghanistan 186 all out in 47.4 overs (Samiullah Shenwari 54, Najibullah Zadran 56, Daniel Vettori 4/18 and Trent Boult 3/34) vs New Zealand.